There comes a time in all of our lives when we have our own private pity-party and say something like this, “Nobody cares about me.” It fees so good to wallow in our self-pity and misery. For a while, that is. But as Christians we really cannot say that nobody cares about us or nobody understands what we are going through in our life. God does. And He cares more than we do, just like a parent really cares more than that young child going though a pity party.

In discussing Creation we must begin with some very important philosophical foundations. Some, even religious people, say that there is nothing personal about origins. Their view is that things just happened and suddenly, quite by accident, here we are. There are many varieties or spin-offs on this philosophy. We just should not get all hung up over origins. It does not matter one way or another.

But it does matter. In seminary in our systematic theology classes there was a statement that was used over and over because of its importance. What is contained in the beginning is contained in the end. In light of creation, what God does in creation, His attitudes, His goals, etc., will be also the same in the end of all things.

Let’s apply this statement to our discussion. If we accept the humanistic philosophy of origins that states basically that God really did not have much to do with origins, then we must conclude that God will not have much to do with the end of all things. A reflection of this philosophy is found in the Robin Williams movie, What Dreams May Come, where the main character dies, goes to ‘heaven,’ rescues his wife from ‘hell’ and builds his own satisfying eternity. Furthermore, another philosophy says, since there is no God in origins, there will be no God in judgment.

But the Bible tells us that God is personally, judicially and completely involved in the end of all things. For the child of God Revelation 21 and 22 tells that we will dwell forever with Him in the New Jerusalem and the new heavens and the new earth. Logically, based upon this evidence, we must say that God was equally involved in Creation.

The one over – riding theme we find in the Bible is summarized in the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me. The entire Bible in a nutshell is encapsulated in John 3:16.

Therefore, origins are not randomness. Origins are the deliberating workings of the God Who loves us so much.

THEME: BECAUSE GOD CARES SO MUCH FOR US:

I. HE CREATED A PLACE FOR US vs. 1-10

A. He Began By Forming The Earth vs. 1-2

1. He created the heavens and the earth vs. 1

a. ‘Created’ – Hebrew – bara

b. Definition of bara – To call into existence out of nothing

c. The word ‘bara’ is found about fifty times in the Old Testament

NOTE:Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” Ecclesiastes 12:1 NKJV

NOTE:The only noun used with the verb ‘bara’ in the Bible is ‘God’

2. He began with the earth ‘without form’ vs. 2

a. From an unused root meaning to lay waste

b. Empty place

c. Nothing of worth

d. Wilderness

3. He began with the Spirit of God

a. The power of the Spirit was necessary in order to sustain it

b. Moved

1) The only other place used in Scripture – As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings Deuteronomy 32:11 NKJV

2) The word expresses that tremulous motion made by the hen while either hatching her eggs or fostering her young

c. The creation could not exist without God’s control and intervention

d. There is a Biblical parallel: … You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. Psalm 104:29 NKJV

NOTE:When this collection of elementary principles was brought together, God was pleased to spend six days in assimilating, assorting, and arranging the materials, out of which he built up, not only the earth, but the whole of the solar system. Clarke

B. He Began By Providing Light And Time vs.3-5

1. The first of all visible things which God …. created was light vs. 3

NOTE:The sun is not created until day four Genesis 1:14-18

2. God saw the light, that it was good

a. It was exactly as he designed it

b. It was fit to answer the end for which He designed it

3. The evening and the morning were the first day

a. The darkness of the evening was before the light of the morning

b. The purpose of this contrast that it might set the day oft to make us appreciate it the better

NOTE:We begin in the darkness of our sin and God moves us to the light of His presence

NOTE:For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 4:6 HCSB

C. He Began By Building Our Atmosphere vs. 6-8

1. The Hebrew word means to spread out as the curtains of a tent or pavilion

2. The two interpretations of the ‘waters above the firmament;’

a. The clouds of water in the atmosphere

b. The ice canopy model

1) A layer of ice circled the earth above the atmosphere

2) This layer filtered out harmful radiation from space, making longer life spans for humans

3) This layer of ice fell to the earth when ‘the windows of heaven’ were open at the time of the Flood

D. He Began By Separating Dry Land From Oceans vs. 9-10

1. God first prepared the upper realm of the physical earth

2. He now works on the design of the earth for use by people

T.S.BECAUSE GOD CARES SO MUCH FOR US:

I. HE CREATED A PLACE FOR US

II. HE CREATED LIFE FOR OUR BENEFIT vs.11-25

A. God Created The Plants For Our Benefit vs. 11-13

1. We use the oxygen

a. They use our ‘waste air’

b. We use their ‘waste air’

2. The fruit was planned for mankind before we came on the scene vs. 11

a. The fruit of trees

b. The vegetables of the plants

B. God Created The Universe For Our Benefit vs. 14-19

1. We run our calendar by the sky

2. Our seasons are dependent upon the circuit of the sun

a. Winter

b. Summer

3. We receive our light from the heavens vs. 15-18

C. God Created The Life In The Seas And Air vs. 20-23

1. The creation of consciousness 1:20

a. The soul – Hebrew: Nephesh

b. Definition of Nephesh: A breathing creature

2. Do creatures have a ‘soul’?

a. Yes

b.… an abundance of living creatures … Genesis 1:20 NKJV

c. Only humans have a ‘living soul’ 2:7

NOTE:The order of created life

a. Life in the seas came first

b. Life in the air came second

NOTE:This all happened on day five vs.23

NOTE:This is totally contrary to the evolution model

a. Life evolved in the oceans

b. Life climbed out on land

c. Life climbed into trees

d. Life flew

D. God Created All Living Creatures vs. 24-25

1. Cattle

a. Animals that can be domesticated

b. Those that are used on farms, as transportation, etc.

c. Clean and unclean animals

2. Creeping things

a. Smaller animals

b. Generally thought to be those about the size of a rabbit and smaller

3. Beast of the earth

a. The wild animals

b. Not able to be domesticated

E. God’s Works Of ‘Creating’ And ‘Making’

1. The creation (bara) of the basic elements of the physical universe Genesis 1:1

a. Space

b. Mass

c. Seasons

2. ‘Making’

a. To make: asah

1)And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. Genesis 1:16 KJV

2)Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3 NKJV

b. To form: yatsar

NOTE:And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 NKJV

c. Both words mean:

1) To mold into a form as by a potter

2) To assemble more complex systems out of more simple components

d. In ‘making’ (asah & yatsar) something is always made from something else

T.S.BECAUSE GOD CARES SO MUCH FOR US:

I. HE CREATED A PLACE FOR US

II. HE CREATED LIFE FOR OUR BENEFIT

III. HE CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE vs. 26-31

A. Image

1. Four of the first five usages of this Hebrew word for ‘image’ refer to our being in the image of God

2. Then Adam had a son (Seth) in Adam’s image

3. The next twelve times the word is found it refers to images of idolatry and sinful people

4. In the New Testament

a.(Jesus) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15 NKJV

c.And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 13:15 KJV

B. ‘Man’ Is A Term For Male And Female vs. 27

1. … male and female created he them Genesis 1:27 KJV

2. Hence, ‘mankind’ or ‘man species’

C. Deliberate Progress In Creation

1. The work of each day was an appropriate preparation for the next day

2. Humanity was to be the caretaker of Creation

NOTE:Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28 NKJV

NOTE:Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:15 NKJV

3. The appearance of age

4. Creation was ‘mature’ from its beginning

5. Everything was created and formed by God full grown

NOTE:God did not teach language to Adam

T.S.BECAUSE GOD CARES SO MUCH FOR US:

I. HE CREATED A PLACE FOR US

II. HE CREATED LIFE FOR OUR BENEFIT

III. HE CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE

IV. HE LEFT NOTHING UNDONE FOR US 2:1-3

A. The Heavens And The Earth Were Finished 2:1

1. The meaning of ‘finished’

a. Accomplished

b. Completed

c. Done

d. Ended

e. Finished doing a thing

f. Fulfilled

2. There was no need for ‘touch – up’ work to be done

a. Everything was completed

b. God called everything ‘good’ seven times in Genesis one

B. God Ended His Work That He Had Made vs. 2

1. His work alone

2. What He made alone

3. The word ‘ended’ is the same Hebrew word as ‘finished’ in 2:1

C. God Rested On The Seventh Day 2:2

1. God rested from the completed work of ‘creating’ and ‘making’ 2:3

2. This is not that God ‘worked up a sweat’ and was tired

a. ‘Rested’ is the Hebrew word for ‘Sabbath’

b. It was a statement of completion; no more creation

3. Rested

a. Cease

b. Celebrate

c. Keep or observe the Sabbath

NOTE:For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11 KJV

NOTE: And now we come full circle in our discussion on Creation. God was in complete control. We did not make ourselves. Nothing else made us, only God. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder for us that this is not all there is of life.

NOTE:There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9 NKJV

NOTE:And this rest is because of the complete work of redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for us. He is now building our place of rest. It is available for every person who receives His salvation call.

NOTE:Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us … Titus 3:5 KJV

“What am I?” “Why am I here?” “What should I do?” “Why should I?” These are questions that many people choose to ignore. They are too hard. They take too much thinking. Besides that is what philosophers are to do. I have to go to school or work.

NOTE:The chief study of mankind is man Alexander Pope

The study of humans is an obligation felt by most men and women in nearly every age of history. We want to know who or what we are, why we are here, and where we are going. It is impossible for us to answer these questions part from the biblical revelation. The reason is we can only see parts.

Zoologists, like Desmond Morris, who calls man ‘the naked ape,’ tells us that people are essentially an animal.

Karl Marx says that the essence of man is in his labor, what we do.

Existentialists tell us that man is essentially a creature of will.

Hugh Hefner tells us that man is a sensuous creature and is to be understood largely in terms of our passions and sexual performance.

A capitalist view is that man is a machine, a large computer. There are studies trying to determine if there is any essential difference between a person and a computer.

Each of these attempts to define mankind has elements of truth. Yet they only see part of the picture, not the comprehensive whole. In human history man is viewed as ‘his own most vexing problem’ (Reinhold Niebuhr).

Who are we? And as the Christian should ask, “How important are we to God?” The only wise, sane course is to ask who we are from God’s standpoint. Genesis 2:4 is said to be the most insightful or clear-sighted statement as to who we are. In the Creation story everything is ascribed to direct acts of God no less than forty six times.

THEME:HOW IMPORTANT ARE WE TO GOD?

I. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD PERSONALLY FORMED US

A. God Is God

1. God is the LORD

a. Jehovah – ‘the existing One’

b. The proper name of the one true God

c. God in His covenant relationship to humanity

2. God is God (Elohim)

a. Great

b. Mighty

c. Ruler

d. Judge

B. God Alone Formed Us

1. Formed

a. Hebrew – yatsar

NOTE:In our origin we have the story of how high above all other types of life we stand

a. We are formed out of the earth by God’s personal activity

b. The breath of life – a personal act of the Creator that is bestowed upon none of His lesser creatures

b. Fashioned – He made a frame

c. Other uses of the word

1) Distressed

2) Be in straits

3) To bind

4) To be cramped

5) Make narrow

NOTE:The term used of a potter forming a clay pot

NOTE:The Bible says that the body of man came first and the life came second. Evolution says that life came before the body of Adam.

NOTE:And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), Isaiah 49:5 NKJV

NOTE:The word of the Lord came to me:

“House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel.

Jeremiah 18:5-6 HCSB

C. God Formed Us, Man

1. Hebrew – ‘adam’

2. Mankind

a. Person

b. Male and female

NOTE:So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27 KJV

3. Out of the dust

a. Dry earth

b. Powder

c. Ground

d. Rubbish

D. We Are A Combination Of What Is Low And What Is High

1. In spite of our high station of being in the image of God, we must not forget the dust in us also

2. We are described as being formed from the dust of the ground

a. An image of lowliness though not of evil

b. We are also described as being made in the image of God

3. Out of all of God’s creation it is our unique role to combine both dust and divinity; dirt and God

E. Dust Is One Of The Most Fascinating Images Of Scripture

1. It is a symbol of that of little worth, of low or humble origin

2. Dust is not nothing but ‘next to nothing’ as Matthew Henry notes

NOTE:Man was not made of gold-dust, powder of pearl, or diamond dust, but common dust, dust of the ground Matthew Henry

3. Dust is a symbol of frustration

4. Dust in the mouth is a figure of defeat and humiliation

a. Increasing despair

b. From littleness to frustration to death

c. This is not to be so for believers

NOTE:For He knows what we are made of,remembering that we are dust. Psalm 103:14 HCSB

NOTE:In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return Genesis 3:19 NKJV

F. We Are From The Ground

1. Hebrew – ‘adamah

2. That which is underfoot

3. A Hebrew play on words: Adam from adamah

4. Ground that is tilled

5. Ground that is used for building

NOTE:Suppose we were going to make a human body. We would need fifty eight pounds of oxygen and fifty quarts of water, two ounces of salt, three pounds of calcium, twenty four pounds of carbon and some chlorine, phosphorous, fat, iron, sulfur and glycerin

NOTE:A piece of skin the size of a postage stamp requires three million cells, one yard of blood vessels, four yards of nerves, one hundred sweat gland, fifteen oil glands, and twenty five nerve endings.

NOTE:Dr. Mayo of the Mayo Clinic had a humorous way of putting it. He said you would need enough potassium for one shot of a toy pistol, enough fat for seven bars of soap, enough iron for one large nail, enough sulfur to delouse a dog, enough lime to whitewash a chicken coup, enough magnesia for one dose of medicine and enough phosphorous for a few boxes of matches! The total purchase would not fill more than a couple of grocery bags.

NOTE:Rocks are comprised of the same basic elements as the human body

T.S.HOW IMPORTANT ARE WE TO GOD?

I. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD PERSONALLY FORMED US

II. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD GAVE US LIFE

A. God Breathed Into The Nostrils Of Adam

1. Breathed

a. Blew

b. As we would blow on a smoldering fire to revive it

c. As we would blow out a fire

d.And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Mark 15:37 NKJV

2. The nostrils

a. The nose

b. The face

NOTE:We can blow on the face of a infant and they will take a deep breath

3. The breath of life

a. Only God and humans have this Hebrew word

b. Out of all God’s creation, we alone are the recipients of this divine breath

c. Highly personal

1) Like the face to face intimacy of a kiss

2) An act of self-giving as well as making

d. Life can only come from life

B. The Breath Of Life

1. The reason we can call on God is because God knows we are more than dust – we are also spirit

2. In nearly all ancient languages the words for spirit and breath are identical

a. Latin – spiritus

1) Aspire – We take a deep breath and try harder

2) Conspire – We put our heads together and share the confined air

3) Perspire – We breathe through the skin

4) Inspire – We breathe in

5) Expire – We breathe out for the last time, we die

b. Greek – Pneuma

1) Pneumatic – Any tool that is air operated; pneumatic drill

2) Pneumonia – A disease of the lungs

3. Life

a. In John 3:7 Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be born again

1) Nicodemus thought he had to be born again of his mother

2) Jesus said no

3) We must be born again of God

4) Just like Adam was born of God originally

b. Like begets like

1) Flesh gives birth to flesh

2) The Spirit (pneuma) gives birth to the spirit (pneuma)

T.S.HOW IMPORTANT ARE WE TO GOD?

I. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD PERSONALLY FORMED US

II. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD GAVE US LIFE

III. WE ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD THAT GOD LET US BECOME A LIVING SOUL

A. Because Of Our Creation, We Have Two Natures

1. We are related to the physical world

2. We are related to the spiritual world

3. We are natural and supernatural

B. We Became A Living Soul

1. Life

a. A living person

b. A living mind

c. A living creature

d. A living body

e. A living being

2.And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. I Corinthians 15:45 NKJV

NOTE:A quickening spirit – Literally, a life-giving spirit

3.Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV

Everyone of us has goals in life. We have an idea as to the life we want. We day dream about how we would like life to be. We even plan for the kind of life we want. For some of us our dreams are within our grasp. For others, we have impossible dreams. Some of us aim too low. Some of us aim too high. Some don’t want to make a decision.

In this passage we see God’s provisions are a model of parental care. The new creature, Adam, is sheltered but not smothered. Everywhere discoveries and encounters await him to draw out his ability of discernment and choice. There is ample nourishment for his aesthetic, physical and spiritual appetites. There is a man’s work before him for body and mind.

As a parent we have here an excellent role model of how we should provide for our children. But in a personal vein we must be aware the purpose of this passage is to show us what God has in store for us. Sin keeps us from being where we and God wants us to be. But we can be overcomers if we are willing to do it God’s way.

THEME:BECAUSE GOD HAS CREATED US:

I. HE HAS PROVIDED A PLACE FOR US vs. 8

A. God Called Everything Good That He Made

1. The light 1:4

2. Land and ocean 1:10

3. Plants 1:12

4. Night and Day 1:18

5. Sea and air creatures 1:21

6. Land creatures 1:25

7. Everything 1:31

B. But He Still Wanted Something Special For Us

1. God planted a garden

a. Fasten

b. Fix

c. Establish

2. A special effort

a. He did not speak it into existence

b. Not an impersonal act

3. A particular delight in preparing the vegetation that would please Adam and Eve

a. Every plant that would be needed and useful

b. Every plant that would be enjoyed

c. Every detail thought out by a loving God

C. Adam Had Already Been Created

1. He watched God at work for him

2. Garden

a. Enclosure

b. Root word – a place to surround and protect

3. Eastward in Eden

a. East of Mt. Sinai

b. Not known where

c. Faint memory

d. Destroyed because of sin

D. Eden

1. Eden was a useful place

a. A place of pleasure

b. A place of delight

c. Good for food

2. Eden was a beautiful place

a. Pleasant to the eyes

b. cf. the distorted and ugly environments that mankind has made for itself

c. In our environments we have eliminated the garden for the garbage

3. Eden was perfectly suited for the nature and responsibilities of Adam

NOTE:Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14 KJV

3. The tree of knowledge of good and evil

4. Both were placed in the midst of the garden

a. The center of the garden

b. The centerpiece of the garden

c. A blessing and a curse

B. God Provides Life Through Rivers

1. The value and necessity of a river in a desert

2. The example of the Nile River

NOTE:We must remember Moses is writing this to a people in the desert of Sinai. To them water is precious.

3. The river flows from holy ground

a. A river will flow from the Temple in Jerusalem in the Millennium Ezekiel 47

b. A river will flow from the throne in the New Jerusalem

NOTE:And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:1-2 NKJV

c. Like a river, life flows from Jesus and us

NOTE:On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

John 7:37-38 NKJV

C. The Meanings Of The Names Of The Rivers Indicate The Prosperity They Bring vs. 11-14

1. Pison: ‘increase’

2. Gihon: ‘bursting forth’

3. Hiddekel: ‘rapid’

4. Euphrates: ‘fruitfulness’

D. While Food, Water And God’s Presence And Will Are In The Garden, Riches And Precious Metals Are Not vs. 12

1. The gold was good

a. An excellent kind

b. Valuable in estimation

2. Bdellium

a. A gum resin

b. The same color as manna

c. A beautiful smelling resin

3. Onyx stone

a. Used on the breastplate of the high priest

b. Represented the tribes of Israel

T.S.BECAUSE GOD HAS CREATED US:

I. HE HAS PROVIDED A PLACE FOR US

II. HE HAS PROVIDED ALL NECESSARY PROVISIONS FOR US

III. HE HAS PROVIDED ALL OUR RESPONSIBILITIES vs. 15-17

A. Before Sin Entered Into The World Adam And Eve Did Not Live In Glorious Inactivity

1. They were given tasks to perform

2. We were not made for inactivity but for work

NOTE:The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary

B. The Oldest Occupation Is Gardening

1. To dress the garden

a. To work it

b. To serve it

c. To labor in it

NOTE:Adam was placed in the garden as a servant, not to be served

2. To keep the garden

a. Guard it

b. Observe it

c. Preserve it

d. Save it

e. Watch it as a watchman

NOTE:Work enters the picture before sin does

C. Because Of His Spiritual Awakening Adam Is Given A Double-Edged Responsibility To Live By; A Sacred Trust

1. You may … vs. 16

2. You shall not … vs. 17

NOTE: The animals

a. Have no such capacity

b. No such charge

c. Are in contented bondage to their surroundings

NOTE:We are called to set a course and hold to it

NOTE:Two trees

a. A tree of life

b. A tree of knowledge

D. The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil

1. The ability to distinguish

a. Knowledge of the whole realm of good

b. Knowledge of the whole realm of evil

2. The doctrine of moral freedom

a. The right for people to decide what is in our best interests and what is not

b. This is a decision God has not delegated to people

c. We become gods when we make ourselves the center and the only frame of reference for moral guidelines

NOTE:The highest reward for man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it

3. Adam was given the ability to make moral judgment

a. The tree was a reminder that we are not our own god

b. We are responsible at all time to our Maker

4. This tree presents an alternative to discipleship

a. To be self-made rather than God-made

b. To be able to wrestle one’s knowledge out of nature without the help of God

c. To be able to set one’s own values

d. To be able to be satisfied on one’s own terms, not God’s terms

e. To defy God

5. These trees are doors whose names announce only what lie beyond them

a. A clear-cut choice

b. A conscious acceptance of the good by completely submitting to the will of God

c. A conscious choice of evil by declaring his complete independence from the will of God

E. Adam Was Created With A Nature That Was Perfect

1. His environment was perfect

2. When Adam sinned

a. It was not because of deficiency

b. It was not because of nature

c. It was not because of environment

3. Therefore God might not be thought responsible; Adam was responsible for his actions

Deceived. Being led to have confidence in something that is not true. Few feelings are worse than the one we get when we first learn that we have been deceived. A friend caught in a lie. That great new product we ordered that does not at all resemble what we ordered. Or that lemon-mobile that Honest Earl sold us! It hurts, we’re angry, but now we have to live with the consequences.

Some people are masters of deception. But none is better at it than Satan. Our text today speaks of one who was deceived by Satan. The Bible calls her the mother of all living, we know her better as Eve. The Bible says that she was deceived into transgression by the Master of deception. The techniques that Satan used to deceive Eve he still uses on us today.

THEME: HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE US?

I. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAXIMIZING GOD’S RESTRICTIONS Genesis 3:1

A. God Had Given Eve Clear Instructions Genesis 2:16-17

1. She could eat from every tree of the Garden 2:16

2. She could eat freely from the trees 2:16

3. Only one tree was she forbidden to eat, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 2:17

NOTE: God always gives us more things that we can do, than he tells us that we can’t do!

4. The Penalty For Breaking This Restriction Was Clear 2:17

B. But Satan Caused Eve To Focus On The Restriction Genesis 3:1

1. He Re-worded God’s Command 3:1

2. When Eve Focused On The Restriction She Expanded It 3:2

a. We can’t eat of it

b. We can’t even touch it

NOTE:Watch some one when they come upon a sign that says “Do not touch – wet paint” most of the time people will touch it. We have a natural desire for that which we can’t have. And giving in to that desire begins when we focus on the restriction.

T.S. HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE US?

I. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAXIMIZING GOD’S RESTRICTIONS

II.SATAN DECEIVES US BY MINIMIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE Genesis 3:4

A. Eve Knew The Consequences 3:3

1. They were immediate consequences “in that day” Genesis 2:17

2. There were clear consequences “you shall surely die” Genesis 2:17

B. Satan Denied The Consequences 3:4

1. He made God look like someone just trying to intimidate them

NOTE:Satan still uses the same trick today. Many people who knowingly commit sin do so under the impression that what they are doing is forbidden just because God does not want them to have any fun. If God loves them then surely He will understand and not punish them.

2. He denied God’s truth

C. Eve Listened To Satan’s Lies And Minimized The Consequences

1. God Had Said That If They Ate Of TheFruit They Would Surely Die 2:17

2. Now She Told Satan “lest you die” 3:3

NOTE:The word “lest” in the Hebrew carries with it the idea of “perhaps,” from which we might say “you might die”

T.S. HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE US?

I. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAXIMIZING GOD’S RESTRICTIONS

II.SATAN DECEIVES US BY MINIMIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE

III. SATAN DECEIVES US BY RE-LABELING OUR ACTIONS Genesis 3:5

A. Eve Now Saw That Which God Had Forbidden – To Be Of Benefit To Her

1. Your eyes shall be opened

2. You shall be as gods

NOTE:Not gods

3. You shall know good and evil

B. Eve Now Thought That God Did Not Want What Was Best For Her

1. He caused Eve to think that what she was inferior

NOTE:She had all the trees of the garden to eat from except this one special tree

2. He convinced her that she was unhappy

3. He convinced her that God was not treating her fairly

T.S. HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE US?

I. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAXIMIZING GOD’S RESTRICTIONS

II.SATAN DECEIVES US BY MINIMIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE

III.SATAN DECEIVES US BY RE-LABELING OUR ACTIONS

IV. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAKING EVIL LOOK GOOD Genesis 3:6

A. Satan Mixed Good And Evil

1. The fruit was good for food

2. The fruit would make her wise

B. Satan Mixed Sin With Beauty

1. The fruit was pleasant to the eyes

2. The tree attracted her “to be desired”

3. Eating of this fruit would improve her life

NOTE:A practical definition of sin – Self improvement without God in the equation

NOTE:Satan today still makes evil look good. Advertising that makes that which God forbids look like the good life. The beautiful people who mock God with their success. And we are deceived into thinking that having what God forbids will improve our lives.

T.S. HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE US?

I. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAXIMIZING GOD’S RESTRICTIONS

II.SATAN DECEIVES US BY MINIMIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE

III.SATAN DECEIVES US BY RE-LABELING OUR ACTIONS

IV. SATAN DECEIVES US BY MAKING EVIL LOOK GOOD

V. SATANDECEIVES US BY CAUSING US TO MISUNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS Genesis 3:13-19

A. Eve’s Disobedience Did Not Bring The Desired Result

1. She wanted wisdom 3:6

2. She received shame 3:7-10

3. She wanted to be as God 3:5

4. Now she hid from God 3:10

B. Eve’s Actions Did Not Effect Just Her

1. The Curse On Satan 3:14-15

2. The Curse On Adam 3:17-19

3. The Curse On The Earth 3:17-18

NOTE:Rarely do our sins effect just us. We need to be on guard against deception because the pain caused by our sin when we are deceived effect not only us but often those we love and care for.

We are all experts in sin yet none of us have ever taken a course in Sin 101.

Not one of us here can remember the first time sin affected us or when we committed our first sin. Sin has been our companion from the cradle and will be with us to the grave.

It is beyond our present ability to comprehend how it would feel to be without sin. That probably will be one of the first thrills and wonders of heaven; no sin with us.

We are all practitioners for sin. Some of us might, unfortunately, consider ourselves experts in certain sins. Yet, what exactly is sin?

Some of the more knowledgeable in the Bible will quote I John 3:4, “… sin is transgression of the law.” And we will piously nod our head and go out and sin. After all, how many things in life are not mentioned in the Bible? Like Eve of old, we rationalize away the wrongness of our sin. After all, my sin is not as bad as his/her sin. How comforting it is to be a Pharisee.

Before we enter into this passage, we must know what sin is. Not what it is in Bible terminology, because we, in our sin, have learned long ago how to segregate the Bible from our life.

Not a theological definition, because we, in our sin, have learned how to ignore theological gas bags and their terminology. After all, they are not in the real world.

So, what is sin?

NOTE:Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Genesis 3:1-7 NKJV

Sin is self improvement without God. No matter what sin we can name, it entails self improvement without inquiring of God if it is right or not.

David sought self improvement without God in taking Bathsheba. He then improved his lot by killing her husband Uriah.

Judas sought self-improvement without God. His pockets were lined with silver not from God but his ability.

When we murder, we eliminate an individual who hinders our self improvement. That is the core plot of every murder mystery on TV.

We commit adultery, we enter into a relationship with someone who ‘improves’ us. “My wife (husband) doesn’t understand me.” Trading partner and live-ins like junior high young people looking for boy / girl friends.

When we divorce, we end a relationship that hinders our self-improvement.

When we steal, we improve self.

When we lie, to keep from being caught, we are doing it to improve self.

When we cheat on a test, we are doing it to improve self.

When we sell that car, knowing full well its defects, we are improving self, getting rid of a lemon. No longer my problem.

When we use people for our advancement.

When we manipulate the facts for our advantage.

When we seek self as the exalted center of our own private world, we are sinning! Sin!

The definition of ungodliness; Leaving God out of the equation.

We are learning how to sin: Improve ourselves without God being in the process.

It’s time we asked ourselves a question: Where did we get the idea that improvement is always good and always necessary? It is an axiom of this world, not of the Bible.

The materialistic prosperity theology of certain preachers smacks more of the world and its self-improvement than of the Bible. Good people, good sin, good God.

What does the Bible say?

But godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6 KJV

Where is the godliness and contentment in divorce, stealing, cheating, murdering, adultery?

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content Philippians 4:1 NKJV

But they that wait (not improve) upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV. cf. downward spiral, less and less strength.

If sin is self-improvement without God, how much time have we spent in this last week improving ourselves in ungodly decisions (decisions where we have not been led by Him)?

There are national sins such as a larger nation invading a smaller nation for the larger nation’s advantage.

There are racial / social sins where one class of people improves itself at the expense of another race / social class of people.

There are family sins where our family only associates with those who improve our standing.

There are personal sins. I don’t care who I use or what I have to do as long as I get what I want. I’ll pay the price to improve myself.

No matter what elements are in national, racial, social, family or personal sins, they all are self-improvement without God.

Here we are. Exhausting ourselves deceiving and being deceived, manipulating and being manipulated, all in the name of the god of advancement and self-improvement.

And through it all, Jesus has been patiently saying, “…I am come that (you) may have life, and that (you) might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

What should we do if we want to do things God’s way instead of self-improvement?

Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalm 40:4 NKJV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time I Peter 5:6 KJV

‘Due time’, no equivalent in English, not, when its convenient on God’s agenda, but rather when it is right.

Then someone says, “My problem is too big to wait.” That is why Peter added casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. I Peter 5:7 NKJV

When we cease to improve self, wait upon the Lord, humble ourselves, then, and only then, can we begin to understand, … all things work together for good to them that love God…” Romans 8:28 KJV

So what is your life? Is it a temple of failed self-improvement? Are you reaching the place where it seems no improvement is possible?

If we confess our sins (self improvements), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus prayed in the garden, … “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39 NKJV

Genesis 3:1-7 records the first ever act of sin by humans. We know quite a lot about sin because, even as Christians, we are not immune to sin. We are all sinners; Christians are just sinners saved by grace.

We practice sin, we experience sin and its effects, but what is sin? From God’s standpoint, sin is transgression of God’s law. From our standpoint, sin is self improvement without God.

Every act of sin we commit is an act of self improvement for ourselves or someone else without consulting God, asking His permission, seeking His will in the matter. As the world’s song says it, “I did it my way.”

What Eve did in our text is exactly how we sin today. Sin is the same, as it was 6,000 years ago, self-improvement without God.

And the steps that led Eve to sin are the same steps we take to improve ourselves without God being in the equation.

THEME: WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE WHEN WE SIN?

I. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF LISTENING TO ‘REASON’ vs. 1

A. The Serpent

1. Used to disguise the tempter, Satan

2. Satan uses others to lead us astray

B. The Subtle Serpent

1. Used in the Bible in both a good and bad way

NOTE: We have a choice

a. Shrewd

b. Clever

c. Cunning

d. Crafty

2. Jesus told his disciples to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”

NOTE:Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 NKJV

C. The Message

1. Has God said?

a. Elohim, not Jehovah

b. General and indefinite name

c. Not His personal name

2. You shall not eat … ?

NOTE:Doubt is the father of every sin

a. Instills doubt

b. Raises a question as to God’s fairness

c. Is God a friend or fiend?

d. Her mind dwells on the prohibition instead of many freedoms

3. Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

a. He exaggerates the prohibition

b. It is really the fact that God has prohibited you from eating of all the trees of the garden?

NOTE:Christians can’t do anything that is fun, can they?

T.S. WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE WHEN WE SIN?

I. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF LISTENING TO ‘REASON’

II. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF GIVING OUR OWN DEFENSE vs. 2-3

NOTE:When Jesus was tempted He quoted the Bible; we don’t

A. We Misquote God’s Blessings To Us vs. 2

NOTE: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden

1. God said, “every tree,” “freely eat” 2:16

2. Eve loses sight of the goodness of God

3. She omits “every” and “freely eat”

4. As if permission grudgingly given

B. We Overstate God’s Restrictions

NOTE:The tree that is in the midst of the garden

1. She did not call the tree by the name God used

NOTE: Lifestyle instead of sin;

‘Relationship’ instead of adultery;

‘Motivation’ instead of covet

2. She exaggerates God’s command and plays down the punishment

NOTE:We are open to attack when we:

a. Don’t quote the Bible

b. Misquote the Bible

a. Neither shall ye touch it

b. Lest ye die

1) You – not me

NOTE:We believe sin gets others, not us

2) Die -indefinite

NOTE:In the day

NOTE:but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:17 NKJV

a) God said (Hebrew) you shall surely die (promised)

b) Eve said (Hebrew) it is possible we might die

T.S. WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE WHEN WE SIN?

I. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF LISTENING TO ‘REASON’

II. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF GIVING OUR OWN DEFENSE

III. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF BELIEVING OTHERS RATHER THAN GOD vs. 4-5

A. Because She Doubted, Satan Can Contradict God vs. 4

B. The First Doctrine In The Bible To Be Revised Is God’s Judgment vs. 4

1. In temptation Satan’s attack centers on God’s word

2. Other’s word vs. God’s word

NOTE:Adam and Eve in their garden wanted independence; Jesus in His garden wanted the Father’s will

C. The Tempter Quoted God, But Gave His Own Interpretation vs. 5

NOTE:Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. II Peter 1:20 KJV

1. God does know

a. God has envy

b. Puts God’s purposes in our ugly light

c. Death is just a scare tactic

2. In the day you eat there of

a. Not, if you eat

b. Rather, you will eat

3. Be as gods

a. Elohim – name of His power

b. Be as powerful as God

c. God becomes a rival and enemy

4. Knowing good and evil

a. Good and evil not clearly stated

b. It seems to offer something good

5. You shall be as gods

a. Higher plane of life

b. Why should God have all the fun?

T.S. WHAT STEPS DO WE TAKE WHEN WE SIN?

I. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF LISTENING TO ‘REASON’

II. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF GIVING OUR OWN DEFENSE

III. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF BELIEVING OTHERS RATHER THAN GOD

IV. WHEN WE SIN, WE TAKE THE STEP OF PARTICIPATION IN SIN vs. 6-7

NOTE:Eve made her decision on the basis of her own judgment and reasoning; she sought no counsel from Adam or God

A. She Saw

1. She did not speak a single word

2. In her heart, her silence agreed with the serpent

B. She Saw The Tree Was Good For Food

1. Purely physical

2. Lust of the eyes

3. Pleasant to the eyes

NOTE:Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Ever since we were knee high to a grasshopper we have been asked questions. Some one would come up and ask us how old we were. With great eagerness and intensity we would put up three fingers. Mom would interrupt and say we were only two, almost three. When we were four we still held up three fingers. We learned questions could be hard to answer.

And then we started to school. The questions seemed to never stop.

The day finally came when we decided we were too old to have to answer questions by Mom and Dad. So we got married. The questions a husband or wife can ask! “Where did the money go?” “Why didn’t you take me with you?” etc., etc., etc.

Then we had children. Children ask the shortest question in the world: Why? Parents think this is the only word kids know.

In the midst of all the questions we face in life we are confronted with frivolous questions, silly questions, important questions and serious questions.

What is the most serious question anyone has ever asked us? When we stand in light of eternity, there are three questions that we not only must ask, we must also answer them correctly.

In all honesty, how we respond to these questions affects how we will spend our lives and our eternity.

THEME: HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND:

I. TO WHAT GOD SAYS? Genesis 3:1

NOTE:There will always be someone around us who questions God

A.How Long Will You Refuse To Humble Yourself Before Me? Exodus 10:3

1. Refusal to be humble before God is to declare war with the Almighty

2.Before destruction the heart of man is haughty Proverbs 16:18

NOTE:Definition of haughty: Satisfied with one’s condition, not willing to change

B.Who Would Set Briars And Thorns Against Me In Battle? Isaiah 27:4

1. We don’t believe His word because of:

a. Our reasons

b. Our excuses

NOTE:Briars and thorns (strands of barbed wire) = reasons and excuses

2. We set up briars and thorns to oppose His progress

T.S. HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND:

I. TO WHAT GOD SAYS?

II. TO WHERE WE ARE? Genesis 3:9

A.Can Any Hide Himself That I Shall Not See Him? Jeremiah 23:24

NOTE:Small children playing hide and seek by covering their faces is like us hiding from God

B. The Thick Clouds Cannot Hide You

NOTE:And you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness?

Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’

Job 22:13-14 NKJV

C.The Eyes Of The Lord Are In Every Place, Beholding The Evil And The Good Proverbs 15:3

D.Is There Anything Too Hard For Me? Jeremiah 32:27

1. He can, and will, save as many as believe

NOTE:But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name John 17:2 KJV

2. He saves unto the uttermost

NOTE:Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 NKJV

3. Anything too hard for us is easy for God

NOTE:But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NKJV

T.S. HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND:

I. TO WHAT GOD SAYS?

II. TO WHERE WE ARE?

III. TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS? Genesis 4:7

A. The First And Greatest Question: What Shall I Do Then With Jesus?

NOTE:Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. Matthew 27:22 KJV

B. The Second Greatest Question: Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

NOTE:Keeper – Guardian

C. The Great Commandment

NOTE:And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.

Mark 12:30 NKJV

1. Love the Lord – Jesus

2. Love your neighbor as yourself

NOTE:Cain responded by killing his brother, Abel

Andrew responded by bringing his brother to Jesus

NOTE:He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).

And he brought him to Jesus …

John 1:41- 42 NKJV

D. If We Believe, Then We Want Those Closest To Us To See Him Also

E. Are We So Taken Up With Ourselves That We Have Forgotten We Have A Brother Or A Sister?

Within this congregation are Christians who have lived in different stages of sin. Some here were saved at an early age, been in church all their life, and have never been out in the “real world.” Then there are others. They had no spiritual background. They, from their earliest days of life, knew nothing but sin.

Group one, the early age Christians have been blessed by not experiencing the dregs of sin. They do not know what it is like to lay awake at night and ask, “What if I have AIDS?” They have not experienced the hangovers of sin, the guilt and humiliation of failed sinful activities.

Group two, not only has the experience of sins, but also has the knowledge of sin. This group knows what it is like to wake up with the hang over of sin, the guilt and humiliation of failed sinful activities.

Adam and Eve were the first to experience the horror of knowing sin and the results of sinful activities. Their experience is our experience. No matter how little of a sin we have committed or how great of a sin we have committed, we know the shame of sin.

THEME:WHEN WE SIN:

I. WE KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD NOT KNOW vs. 7a

A. Our Eyes Are Opened To Sin

1. We have several types of eyes

a. We have mental eyes

b. We have physical eyes

c. We have spiritual eyes

NOTE:Sin always affects our vision

2. The tempter’s promise was kept

a. Their eyes were opened

b. He did not say what they would see

3. They experienced the doctrine of depravity

a. They knew good but unable to do it

b. They knew evil but were unable to resist it

B. We Have Knowledge We Did Not Have Before

1. They found out

2. They saw as they had never seen before

3. Enlightenment becomes a nightmare

NOTE:For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Romans 7:19 ESV

C. We Know Our Nakedness In The Midst Of Our Sin

1. They eat

a. They expect marvelous results

b. They wait

c. There grows on them the sense of shame

2. The first noticeable effect of sin is shame

3. They hardly got what they bargained for

4. They now have a knowledge of good and evil

a. Not as a result of having remained steadfast in the good

b. But from the low level of sin

D. The Knowledge Of Nakedness

1. The only knowledge they acquired was their nakedness

2. Nakedness before was wholly proper and comfortable

3. Naked

a. More than without clothes

b. Without God

c. Without righteousness

NOTE:The embarrassment of standing before God naked spiritually at the Great White Throne

4. Disillusioning experience follows the sin

a. Where are the attractive predictions the serpent had made to them?

b. The world at which they looked was spoiled as they projected evil onto innocence

NOTE:Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled Titus 1:15 KJV

T.S.WHEN WE SIN:

I. WE KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD NOT KNOW

II. WE TRY TO COVER UP OUR SINS vs. 7b

A. The Sewing Of Fig Leaves Together

NOTE:The oldest occupation is gardening; the second oldest is sewing (covering up sin)

1. Instead of driving them back to God, their guilt leads them into:

a. Self atoning

b. Self protecting

c. Self covering

2. We can hide our nakedness from each other but not from God

B. They Made Themselves Aprons

1. The covering of their nakedness by sewing fig leaves

2. The nakedness is first spiritual, before it is physical

3. The original wholeness they had enjoyed had been shattered

4. Fig leaves represent man’s earliest attempt to cover up his sin

5. Sin makes us ill at ease with each other

a. A foreshadow of fallen human relations in general

b. Fig leaves irritate

6. To try to make us fit for the presence of God

T.S.WHEN WE SIN:

I. WE KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD NOT KNOW

II. WE TRY TO COVER UP OUR SINS

III. WE HIDE FROM GOD vs. 8

A. The Blessing: We Can Still Hear God When We Are In Sin

1. For Adam and Eve the voice of God was a time of hiding

2. For Moses: When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, Acts 7:31 KJV

3. For Isaiah: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8 KJV

B. The Walk Of God

1. When we are in sin, any movement by God is fearful

2. Before sin Adam and Eve walked with God daily

3.When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. Genesis 17:1 NKJV

4.They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Psalm 119:3 KJV

C. They Hid From God

1. They drew back

2. Instead of running to Him, they run from Him

a. Now the sound of God arouses fear rather than joyful anticipation

b. The natural result of spiritual death

3. Before sin, the voice of God was joy and delight

4. Adam And Eve hid but God found them

a. He knew they had sinned

b. He made the approach

NOTE:And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Revelation 6:15-16 NKJV

NOTE:And they shall see his face … Revelation 22:4 KJV

D. They Hid From His Presence

1. Nothing had changed about God

2. Everything had changed about them

3. With no sin His presence is joy

4. With sin His presence is fear

NOTE:Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

How are we to determine the value of our worth? Some would do time studies on us to evaluate our efficiency on the job and in the home. Some would consider what it would cost to replace us with someone from the work force. Some would be nostalgic and say we are priceless.

As Christians we must never forget, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36 KJV.

We are worth a lot. God cared so much that He gave His son for us. No matter what we have done, we are valuable to God. No matter how low the sin, not matter how dark the sin, no matter how stained the sin, God still values us.

THEME:WHEN WE DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO:

I. WE HAVE A PLACE TO BE vs. 6

A. We Will Go Where God Wants Us To Go

1. Sichem

a. Near the center of the land

b. Called the natural capital of the land

c. The crossroads of the land

d. The place of decision

2. The stages of Abram’s faith

a. The first stage – By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Hebrews 11:8 KJV

b. The second stage – By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:9-10 KJV

c. Abram is an example of how to be a pilgrim

1) Not someone who has merely left home

2) A person who has done that but no more than that is a drifter

3) A pilgrim is one who has left home but is also traveling to another home

4) A pilgrim has had a vision of a goal, a destination, and is determined to hang loose on everything else until the achievement of that new and better place

NOTE: “The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them. Some said they were fools, some they were Bedlams, and some they are outlandish men … Few could understand what they said. They naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that kept the fair were the men of the world, so that, from one end of the fair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to each other … But that which did not amuse the merchandisers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares. They cared not so much s to look upon them, and if they called upon them to bury, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, ‘Turn away mine eyes from beholding Vanity,’ and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven.”

At Vanity Fair

John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

NOTE:Three marks of the pilgrim:

a. He wears different clothing; clothed in Christ’s righteousness rather than in his own self-righteousness

b. He speaks a different language; the followers of Christ speak often of him and His concerns

c. He holds different values; the world has lost its appeal for those whose eyes are set on God’s glory

NOTE:It is of the utmost importance that the children of God should live this detached life as a testimony to the world. How will people believe us, when we talk about our hope, if it does not wean us from excessive devotion to the things around us? If we are quite as eager, or careworn, quite as covetous or grasping, quite as dependent on the pleasures and fascinations of this passing world as them selves, may they not begin to question whether our profession be true, on the one hand, or whether after all there be a real city yonder, on the other.

We must not go on as we are. Professing Christians are too much taken up in business cares, in pleaser-seeking, in luxury, and self-indulgence. there is slight difference between the children of the kingdom and the children of this generation. The shrewdest observer could hardly detect any in their homes, in the education of their children, in their dress, or in their methods of doing business. they eat, they drink; they buy, they sell; they plant, they build; they marry, they give in marriage – though the flood is already breading through the crumbling barriers to sweep them all away.

F. B. Meyer

B. We Will Ignore The Inhabitants

NOTE:And the Canaanite was then in the land

a. Cana

b. Zealous

1. The ten spies told Moses they were giants in the land

NOTE:In the days of Moses the ten spies were afraid of the giants in the land. Why many of us do not obey the Lord; we have our eyes on the giants of this world

2. A problem that became a test of his obedience

a. Someone else was there before him

b. How can it be given to Abraham if someone else is already there?

c. The Canaanites were exceedingly wicked and violent people

d. They were a race corrupt beyond description and cursed and condemned by God

e. Abram saw all the good places in the grip of the ungodly

3. Abram did not try to do God’s work

a. Abram did not do as Solomon and marry into the important families of the Canaanites so he could inherit the land

b. Abram did not start buying up the land

4. He waited for God to speak

a. When God did, Abram worshipped

b. Abram was content to leave all the details in God’s hands

NOTE:Although the Canaanites were in the land, so was God. God is mightier than the Canaanites

T.S.WHEN WE DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO:

I. WE HAVE A PLACE TO BE

II. WE HAVE A PROMISE TO RECEIVE vs. 7

A. And The Lord Appeared Unto Abram

1. The first time in Scripture where we read of an actual appearance of God since Adam

2. A visible manifestation

3. Enoch maybe walked with God as we walk with God

4. Noah may only have heard God

B. Unto Thy Seed Will I Give This Land

1. The land was never given to Abram

2. The land was given to Abram

3. Abram did not live for himself; he lived for his descendants

C. There Built He An Altar Unto The LORD

1. Here he planted a flag so to speak in the heart of the promised land and declared that God rules everywhere

2. How Abram lived

a. Abram arrived at a place

b. He recognized God’s presence

c. He raised an altar as a testimony to God’s claim upon that place

d. Abram passed on to other places but the altars remained

3. An altar is a witness to the fact that in this place:

a. A child of God once knelt and prayed

b. A child of God proclaimed the gospel of grace

c. A child of God claimed that spot for God’s glory

NOTE:Being a pilgrim does not mean that we are to pass through this world and leave it untouched. We leave a witness everywhere

NOTE:Abram passed through Canaan. Canaan did not pass through Abram. Canaan was never exactly the same after Abram.

NOTE:When we are gone our home, our fortune, our memory will dissipate faster than dandelion seeds in the wind. But our witness will not.

T.S.WHEN WE DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO:

I. WE HAVE A PLACE TO BE

II. WE HAVE A PROMISE TO RECEIVE

III. WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE vs. 8-9

A. The Two Options vs. 8

1. Bethel – the house of God

2. Hai – Heap of ruins

NOTE:Abram pitched his tent between the “house of the Lord” and the “heap of ruins”

NOTE:God offers His house to those who have lost their own Quoted

NOTE:The two places reminded Abram of reality and what the world is really like and what God is really like

B. Abram’s Choice Of Building

1. There is a difference between pitching the tent and building the alter

2. ‘Pitching’ is temporary

3. ‘Building’ is more permanent

4. The only structures Abram ever left behind were altars

a. No houses

b. No cities

c. No towers

NOTE:And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:4 NKJV

As children there was a great trauma in life. We got caught doing something our parents told us explicitly not to do. Those horrible words, “Why did you disobey me!” Painful. But we tried out our fledgling lawyer role. “He (or she as the case may be) made me do it.” “I didn’t think it was that bad.” And the great clincher, “Well, everybody else was doing it.” And usually it was trauma when board of education was applied to the seat of learning.

But those childish days are nothing compared to the day when Someone will ask, “Why did you disobey me?” As children we could occasionally lie our way out of punishment because our parents or teacher did not have all the facts. But this One has more facts about our acts of sin that even we do. And He is exact in deciding responsibility.

The terror of this scene is found in its being a foretaste of that moment after we each die and stand before the judgment of God

THEME:WHEN GOD APPROACHES US ABOUT OUR SIN:

I. HE WANTS TO HELP US REPENT vs. 9-10

A. God Called Adam, Not Adam Called God vs. 9

1. LORD

a. Jehovah

b. God in His covenant relationship to us

c. Not God as Avenger

2. Called

a. Utter a loud sound

b. To summon

c. To invite

NOTE:God made it so that it was impossible for Adam not to hear Him call

3. The Lord asks a question

a. Not a command

b. God draws us out of our sin, not commands us out of our sin

c. Tenderness rather than toughness

NOTE:Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9 NKJV

4. Where are you?

a. God’s first words to fallen mankind has all the marks of grace

b. The first words spoken by God after man’s fall into sin are a question designed to get Adam to face up to what he and Eve had done

c. God tries to draw, rather than drive, Adam out of hiding

1) We seek to hide from God

2) God seeks to find us

NOTE:How the question can be interpreted

a. God in tears, Poor Adam what has become of you

b. God mad, Look what you have done to yourself!

c. God making Adam face the fact of his sin

B. Adam Evaded God’s Question vs. 10

1. And he said

a. When God called Adam, he answered

b. We no longer can hide when God calls

NOTE:Everyone responds

God called Moses from the burning bush and Moses responded

God called Lazarus and he responded from the tomb

2. When we are in sin we are “I” oriented

a. I, not we

b. I heard

c. I was afraid

d. I was naked

e. I hid myself

3. Adam does not answer God’s question

a. He answers why he is hiding

b. Adam uses:

1) Half truth

2) Evasion

3) Attempted deception

4. I heard Your voice and was afraid

a. Afraid of God

1) Adam blames God

2) I would not have fled if Your voice had not frightened me

b. First time “afraid” is used in the Bible

1) Afraid is found at least 319 times in the Bible

2) First time in the New Testament is when the angels came to tell of the birth of the Savior

NOTE:Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Luke 1:30 NKJV

5. I hid myself

a. The garden was a perfect place, made by God

b. The garden was Adam’s home

c. The garden was where God walked with Adam

d. With sin, the garden was a place of dread when God came in

e. When we are in sin, even the most beautiful place is an enclosure

6. I was naked

a. Yet he was clothed

b. Nothing can hide the spiritual nakedness of sin

T.S.WHEN GOD APPROACHES US ABOUT OUR SIN:

I. HE WANTS TO HELP US REPENT

II. HE WANTS US TO CONFESS OUR SIN vs. 11-12

A. The Two Questions Of God vs. 11

1. Who told thee that you were naked?

a. God did not ask questions to gain information

b. God asked questions to get Adam and Eve to confess and repent

c. Personal confession for personal sin

2. Have thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that thou should not eat?

a. This question urges confession rather than condemnation

b. Now was the moment they could have confessed

B. Adam Compounded His Sin By Trying To Excuse Himself And Shift The Blame To Others

1. Adam blamed God – You gave her to me

NOTE:God you gave me a dangerous companion

a. The woman You gave me

NOTE:He did not use her personal name

b. Finding fault with God’s work

2. Adam blamed Eve

a. She gave to me

b. I did eat (not, I did sin)

3. Through rationalization the criminal becomes the victim

a. Adam tries to minimize his part in this sin

b. By verbal hiding another obstacle is put in the way of mercy

NOTE:And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Luke 15:21 NKJV

NOTE:In India there is a hard paved road and a dirt road beside it. The camels use the dirt road (easier on their feet). In the rainy season the dirt road becomes a quagmire. One man walking on the hard paved road tells a man stuck in the mire to walk easier on the hard paved road. He does and it is so much easier. But it is still headed to the same destination.

The broad road that leads to destruction has a muddy side and a paved side. Sin is sin whether it is dressed in rags or fine linen.

Donald G. Barnhouse

c. Sin blinds us even to God’s goodness

1) Adam and Eve were not immediately condemned

2) They experienced the great kindness and mercy of God

NOTE:God tried to encourage Adam and Eve to acknowledge and repent of their sin